Key Terms And Definitions Of Stress

Many times I have felt there’s nothing I can do about stress. The bills never stop coming, there will never be more hours in the day, and work and family responsibilities will always be demanding. Stress is a process whereby an individual perceives and responds to events that he appraises as overwhelming or threatening to his well being as described in Key Terms and Definitions - Lesson 12 Module 12.1. Realizing I have more control over stress than I may think. Stress management is all about taking charge: of my lifestyle, thoughts, emotions, and the way I deal with problems. No matter how stressful life seems, finding there are steps that can be taken to relieve the pressure and regain control. In February of 2012 we lost our patriarch, my

Me and my baby sister Shawnta' rushed over to our parents house to find our dad bawled up in the fetal position extremely tense and unresponsive. My sister Shawnta' pushed the phone into my chest with unusual force and stated call 911, I think in this moment I froze confused and in disbelief I dialed hastily and as if I forgot the number to "911"!. The operator comes on the line and asks what my emergency is, the only words I could form we forced sounds of me holding back my emotions choking out the word ambulance. At this point Shawnta' grabbed the phone from me and takes control of the situation and responds to the operator " my dad is non responsive and his body is very stiff, he is breathing but it's very slow, I am unsure at what rate." Everything fades out from this point as the paramedics rush through into the bedroom I sit in the corner by the closet completely silent, observing the commotion and chaos as they load my dad on to the stretcher and strap him down clearing a path as they wheel him out of the bedroom down the hallway to the front

The doctor comes in and lets us know that he is in end stage renal failure due to Lupus and if we had any end-of-life treatment or medical decisions that he needed to know of. In this moment my physiological and emotional responses to the stressors trigger a “crisis-mode” physiological response in me immediately going into denial as the doctor gave our choices of in home hospice care or a hospice facility. Little over a week later my father passed in the morning. I didn't speak about the loss of my father and was very upset and angry when co-workers or social media friends would give condolences or share a story, I felt they have no idea the pain, confusion, and the immense emptiness I felt. Also to add more stress and triggers in March of the same year my son's father tried to sue me for joint custody. I would find myself disconnected, annoyed, and agitated by everything. At my breaking point I needed healthy positive strategies, I started to work out again kickboxing, dancing, parking my car in the farthest spot at work and walking the rest of the way, and using the steps instead of the